asleep
/əˈsliːp/
in a state of sleep
She was fast asleep when the baby started crying.
She was deeply asleep when the baby woke up.
formal
in a state of sleep; not awake
The cat was curled up asleep on the couch.
The cat was sleeping peacefully on the couch.
He fell asleep during the movie.
He dozed off while watching the film.
Can be used both literally and figuratively to describe a state of rest or inactivity.
Collocations
fall asleepto start sleepingasleep at the wheelnot paying attention to something important
Synonyms
Related Phrases
Pro Tip
Common Usage
'Asleep' is often used with 'fall' (fall asleep) or 'be' (be asleep).
Word Origin
From Middle English 'aslepen', from Old English 'on slæpe' (on sleep).
Usage Notes
Often used in continuous tenses (e.g., 'is asleep', 'was asleep') to describe a state of sleep.
Word Breakdown
a-
in a state of
prefixsleep
the state of resting with closed eyes
rootEnglish Dictionary